The Tale of Kenji: A Naruto Story
by TheUndashingOne
Summary: The life of a shinobi is often a life of tragedy, heartbreak and hardship but the only thing worse is not knowing your identity but there is bliss with God. A young shinobi tries to avoid all the pain that comes with being a ninja to live in a world that God only knows. Rated M for graphic scenes, adult themes, and violence. OC Main character with Senju/Uchiha bloodline, Big Harem
1. Prologue

It had been eleven years since the Nine Tail Fox's attack on the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The destruction from the attack had been fixed up very well to the point where you wouldn't know that the village was on the verge of destruction. Hisen walked at a steady pace towards the entry gates of the village taking in the sight of the marvelous village. It wasn't often that he left the confines of his village due to safety reasons. Hisen was the leader of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall and only left his sanctuary for diplomatic missions. The current mission however was too important to be placed in the hands of one of his subordinates.

"Are we almost there yet, I'm really tired Hisen Sensei" The young girl beside him asked while stretching her legs.

"Yes Fu, we're here" Hisen replied with a smirk as he eyed down the chunin level guards patrolling the outskirts of the village. It was understandable that the security presence of the village had increased due to the possibility of bandits and rival village spies when political diplomats travelled between villages.

Hisen looked down at the amber eyes of the young girl following him with a wholesome smile on her face. The young eleven-year-old had eyes of amber that shined in excitement of finally being able to explore the world and mint green hair that shined in the sun. Fu was wearing her short sleeve gray shirt with her blue shorts which was held by a shinobi pouch which contained a variety of ninja tools such as shuriken and kunai. Over her shoulder was a medium sized red backpack with ton of essentials needed to survive and some extra clothes. Some would say she overpacked, but Fu had never left the waterfall village until this point because she was the of the seven tailed beast. Fu was selected as the jinchuriki from birth as she was an orphan with no attachments and could serve as a military asset for the village once it began its ninja program. Because of this, Fu was one of the two most treasured military assets that carried a jinchuriki and thus could never leave the village.

"Why the hell did I have to come, I didn't even want to go on this stupid trip." Said the black-haired boy dragging his heels behind the two.

"Language Kenji" Hisen sighed as he turned to give Kenji a look of annoyance.

Kenji folded his hands on the back of his shaggy black hair while grumbling his complaints silently. He had a black short sleeved shirt with kanji on the back which said Demon along black shorts and black ninja shoes. He also had a large backpack slung over his shoulder full of snacks, emergency supplies and a special kunai he got for his fifth birthday by Hisen. Kenji Takahashi was the second jinchuriki from the Waterfall Village and his history had always been one of mystery. He was abandoned at the age of one and left on the doorsteps of the village entry path only to be found by Hisen while coming back from a diplomatic trip. After having some sensory ninja check the child out, it was quickly discovered that the child possessed a huge chakra source unknown to the ninja world. Up to this point, there were only nine tailed beasts with nine containers known as the jinchuriki so it was a surprise to everyone when Kenji appeared to have sealing kanji on his back which appeared to hold back whatever was inside him. Many in the village saw this as a gift from the gods and a chance to bring the Waterfall Village into prominence but Hisen did not like the idea of the consequences it could bring. The news spread very quickly much to the dismay of Hisen who wanted to keep the existence of Kenji a secret as it would make major waves in the current power dynamic. Spies were a common thing in the ninja world, but it was very worrying to have the news leak as only the highest officials of the waterfall village knew this secret. The last thing Hisen needed was the attention of power hungry villages like the Hidden Cloud Village who were no strangers to conquest but now his village seem to be the crosshairs of most villages.

Hisen was pulled away from his thoughts as he made it to the gates of the leaf village and had to show his identification papers to the chunin at the gate. The leaf chunin nonchalantly looked at the identification papers before giving the three a quick nod of affirmation signifying that they could pass.

"Can we stop at a dango shop" Fu asked in her usual lively manner.

"We've got more important stuff to deal with. Let's get this over with so we can get straight home" Kenji replied stoically although Hisen knew that Kenji was also interested in seeing the festivities of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"You know people would like you more if you weren't such a buzzkill all the time"

Kenji frowned as he heard Hisen snicker from Fu's comments before focusing his attention at the crowds of people walking through the villages center. The center was filled with citizens and ninja alike interacting with each other at the many shops and for a second Kenji felt like the trip to the Leaf may not have been all that bad. He still was curious as to why he and Fu had to come with the old leader but if it meant that he got some air room from the constant guarding from other ninja in his village, then he had no room to complain. Even then, he felt in unchartered territories and it made him on edge. The little training that he had got from the Waterfall Village's Ninja Academy taught him to never be comfortable in enemy territories and it made him very irritated that Fu seemed to forget this with how nonchalant she seemed.

The three made their way through the village and made it to the Hokage Residence. At the outside of the Hokage Residence stood two men chatting at front of the building. The taller white ninja male looked younger from what Kenji could tell and had spiky white hair. The ninja wore dark blue pants and a long-sleeve dark blue shirt with a flak jacket over it. He wore sunglasses and had a mask that covered the bottom half of his face. The second man was much shorter, much tanner and much older. He wore a haori with a red full-length kimono that is tied using a white sash and a white hat. Kenji figured that the old man was the Hokage and the other man must have been a Chunin or Jonin. The Hokage was much older than Kenji expected but he had a feeling that he was not to be underestimated.

"It's been a long time Hisen, how have you been?" Hiruzen said with mirth

"Way too long my old friend, I am surprised to see you are still the Hokage of the village"

"Someone has to do it and I have yet to find a suitable apprentice"

"I am glad. I don't think I could trust another soul with what I am asking of you. Most of my village think me a fool to even think of such an action but these are troubling times"

"We can discuss this more inside. Are these the two young shinobi you were telling me about?"

"Yes, this is Fu" Hisen said as he motioned for Fu to greet the Hokage. Fu nervously approached the old Hokage and gave a small bow to show respect. Hiruzen smiled from the polite gesture and gave a nod of acknowledgement. Hiruzen then turned his attention to Kenji.

"And this is Kenji Takahashi"

Kenji was less concerned with the Hokage and Waterfall Village leader talking and more interested with the white-haired man standing beside the Hokage. He had to admit that he was very curious with the appearance of the man.

"What happened to your eyes?"

"KENJI!" Hisen practically shouted in embarrassment due to the blatant disrespect shown by Kenji.

"It's fine, I just think that it's a daring fashion statement"

Kenji facepalmed at the ridiculousness and could not believe that a ninja would limit his own eyesight in the name of fashion. He had a sneaking suspicion that the ninja was lying but he decided not to press it further.

"Kakashi, I have business to attend to, but I will keep your request of one of the Uchiha children in mind"

"Thank you, Lord Hokage"

Kakashi gave a quick wave before pulling out an orange book and vanishing in a cloud of smoke. The Hokage lead the group to his office and used up a hand seal to activate a noise cancelling jutsu which was primarily used to keep noise from leaving the Hokage's office. Kenji stood in awe as multiple seals appeared on the walls of the office and glowed in a cyan hue.

"Now we can talk without any wandering ears" Hiruzen said before taking off his hat and sitting down in his chair.

"Thank you Hiruzen, I know I am asking a lot of you with this request, but you seem more suitable for it than anyone else. My village is split between thinking that I am insane for giving up both jinchurikis. Truth be told, I am having second thoughts about this"

"So why have you decided on it?"

"In the past three months, we've had issues with multiple scouts infiltrating the village. None of them have gotten very far but it has been ramping up. We ended up interrogating the last one to no avail. Our intelligence has concluded that they are either from the Village Hidden in the Clouds or the Village Hidden in the Stone."

"Hmm, I see, you believe that a rival village could be preparing an operation to capture the two"

" Yes and my village cannot afford to deal with the military capabilities of most villages but a war against the Raikage or the Tsuchikage could result in the destruction of our entire village."

Up to this point, Kenji had no idea why he and Fu were brought to the Leaf Village but after hearing the conversation, He knew that the trip was more permanent than the Waterfall village leader meant it to be and he could tell that Fu realized the same judging by the slight frown that showed on her face.

"Hisen-Sensei does this mean that we are staying in the leaf village"

Hisen looked down to Fu pouting at him before giving a bittersweet smile. "I'll come back for you the moment things get better"

Fu nodded but still looked like she had a lot of questions on her mind. She wanted to know how long she would have to stay in the village and how often they would get to see Hisen-sensei. Kenji on the other hand had an unreadable expression on his face. He didn't know whether to be upset that he was being abandoned by the waterfall village or whether to be excited that he at least was being kept in a village that was huge and had tons of things to do. The Village hidden in the Leaves was massive compared to The Waterfall Village and there were tons of people here who wouldn't give him strange looks. The trip had been lackluster thus far but this felt like a turning point that he could be content with.

"I will make begin preparations for the kids immediately. You should take the time to say your goodbyes" Hiruzen replied before undoing the noise cancelling jutsu.

* * *

Kenji turned the knob and opened the door to what would be what he would call home for the near future. A two-bedroom luxury apartment free of charge thanks to the Hokage pulling some favors. He had been spending the last few hours with Fu and Hisen going to multiple shops to get essentials that he and Fu would need to live on their own. Earlier he had been told that they would be attending the Leaf Village Ninja Academy, so he'd spent some time getting books on various subjects along with some basic ninjutsu scrolls and chakra induction paper, so he could prepare. Despite being a military asset, he never actually went through the academy and only had personal training with the jonin in his former village but even that training was a bit underwhelming. He felt his and Fu's taijutsu was good at their age, but they would have to train extra hard make up the lack of experience in the program over those who have been in the ninja program for years. The Leaf was known for its excellent shinobi program, so he assumed that the current crop of shinobi being groomed and trained would be on a level above where he was at.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Fu and Hisen came in with the remaining bags and then they began to start sorting items out. When they were finished, Hisen began preparing the dinner while Fu took notes since she would have to learn how to cook for herself and Kenji. She had no idea what Kenji was doing in his room, but he took the liberty of locking the door, so she didn't want to bug him yet. She instead opted to help Hisen with the beef stew they were making. She took the liberty of chopping down the carrots and lettuce that would be included in the meal while Hisen focused on the beef and seasoning the broth. Hisen brought a wooden spoon filled with the broth to his lips before taking a taste and smiling at how well seasoned he made it. He hoped that Fu was paying attention so that she could at least provide for herself instead of waste the fixed income they were getting by the Hokage on unhealthy meals. After he finished prepping the meat, he added it to the stew broth to be boiled while Fu added the vegetables

"Kenji can you come out for a second?" Hisen said as he moved away from the stove to let the stew simmer.

After a couple of seconds, Kenji came out of the room he was in and walked to sit on the couch. Fu realizing that Hisen had something to say went to also take a seat on the couch next to Kenji. The atmosphere in the room seemed to tense

"Tomorrow I'll be heading back to the Waterfall village, you two will stay here as residents of the Hidden Leaf Village. I know this is going to be a huge change for you but it's for your safety as well as the safety from our village"

Hisen paused to see if there would be any objections or questions before continuing where he left off.

"Does anyone know about us" Kenji asked wondering how many people

"Only the Hokage and a select few of the elders in the Rainfall Village know about your relocation. Right now, I would like you to keep it a secret."

Hisen could see the tears in Fu's eyes starting to build up but he knew that she would respect his wishes as she was always one to follow what he said. He was really surprised that Kenji was taking it so well.

"I know this is a big change for you two, but I know you both will grow up to be tremendous shinobi. Remember everything that you were taught and remember everything that you learn here"

"You start the academy tomorrow and you have a lot to learn so I want both of you to focus on your studies. The sooner you become capable shinobi, the faster you will be able to come back if you choose to"

Fu leaped towards Hisen and gave him a large hug. Hisen was used to Fu's hugs but he would always feel sore due to her abnormal strength. Kenji also got up and went to join the hug, his hair covered his eyes but Hisen could see the tears flowing down his face. Hisen knew that Kenji wanted to be strong, but he just couldn't hold himself back. The three shared the hug for several minutes before Hisen broke the hug.

"I have to leave tonight. You two should get some sleep as the academy starts at sunrise"

"Yes Hisen-sensei" both jinchuriki said with new determination showing in their eyes

 **'These two are going to be great shinobi, I regret that I will not be here to see it'** Hisen thought

The three sat down and ate mostly in silence with the realization that today was the last day the three would be together for a long time. After eating, Hisen gave one last hug to both Fu and Kenji before taking his leave to begin the long trip back to the Waterfall Village. Kenji and Fu began preparing to go to sleep. Kenji had been halfway through setting up his bed before Fu walked in his room.

"Kenji…. Can I sleep in your room for tonight"

Kenji knew Fu sometimes would sometimes feel afraid to sleep alone so she would have to share the room with someone else It was understandable to Kenji since Hisen was gone and he was pretty much the only person she could trust.

"Sure, but don't expect to be sleeping here all the time" Kenji said nonchalantly although he had a sneaking suspicion that this would be a common theme among their new place seeing as a lot of Fu's stuff was still in his room.

Fu got onto Kenji's bed and laid on her back while staring at the roof. Kenji went to the restroom to brush his teeth before coming back and doing the same.

"No matter what, we will always be together right?" Fu shyly asked

"Always" Kenji said flashing a bright smile at Fu only to realize that Fu was already drifting to sleep. Kenji looked back at the ceiling thinking about what tomorrow would bring before slowly drifting to sleep.

 **A/N: Took me a while to churn this chapter out but I beat my expectation of releasing it by the end of the week. Hope you guys like it, I look forward to the reviews, questions and criticisms that will come from this one. For the most part, I have most of the arcs and interactions I want planned out and all that's left is writing the story. I am striving to make this one of those long drawn out fanfictions that gives my own spin on the Narutoverse. Expect the chapter sometime in the next week.**


	2. The Burning Flames of Youth

Kenji was currently on Fu's trail as he ran past wandering civilians who were going about their day. They both woke up later than they expected, and they had less than 10 minutes to report to their homeroom for the first day at the academy. It took longer for him to get ready than it took her, so she left without him which he found aggravating. Realizing that he wouldn't make it without having to utilize some of his training, he poured chakra to his legs to boost himself and jumped over the fence across from him. He eventually made it with a couple of seconds to spare and when he made it there he saw Fu at the front entrance smirking at him.

"When did you get so slow?" Fu teased as she stuck her tongue out.

"Shut up. Let's just get to class" Kenji responded looking away from her

The Ninja Academy was a large building that was built into the Hokage administration building. Kenji made his way to the homeroom designated for final year academy students along with Fu. He reached for the knob and started to walk in before a chalkboard eraser hit his head. The room echoed in laughter from the back of the room. Kenji scanned the room and identified the source of the voice. The source of the voice came from a short looking blond boy in a black shirt and orange pants. Kenji picked up the eraser and smiled before throwing it straight at the boy. The erase hit the boy square in the head and he fell off his chair which caused everyone in the room to laugh.

"HEY WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR" The blond boy yelled in anger

"Maybe you shouldn't be playing around with erasers if you're scared of being hit by one" Kenji said matter of factly

The blond boy made a lunge for Kenji and in response, Kenji put up his battle stance expecting a fight to go down but a brown haired man in a flat jacket similar to the jonin that Kenji and Fu met outside of the Hokage building stepped in between the two.

"CUT IT OUT NARUTO" Iruka said before knocking him on his head. Naruto immediately reached for his head and fell on the ground before rolling around.

"He started it Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said in frustration while pointing directly at Kenji.

"I wouldn't have done it if you didn't prank me with an eraser" Kenji responded in a childish manner.

"ENOUGH YOU TWO" Iruka screamed before the room went into silence due to how thunderous his voice rang in the moment.

"Just sit-down Naruto" Iruka said before turning his attention to the rest of the classs.

"Good morning class, today we have two new students attending the academy". Iruka motioned for both students to come up and introduce themselves. "Why don't our new students tell us a bit about themselves and their goals" Iruka continued.

"Hi everyone, I'm Fu and I hope we all become great friends." Fu said in a cheerful way which attracted a few blushes from some of the boys in the class. Kenji didn't like what he was seeing in that regard. The last thing he wanted to be concerned about is Fu's love life, but he pushed the thought to the side.

"My goal is to become a remarkable kunoichi, so I can make someone precious in my life proud of me"

Kenji waited for a moment to make sure she was done with what she was saying before giving his introduction.

"I'm Kenji Takahashi and my goal is to incite change in the world" Kenji stated.

Iruka raised an eyebrow after hearing his goal and wanted to gain a little bit of insight. "In what way would you change the world?". Kenji thought for a second before answering.

"I want to create a world of peace where kids don't have to flee their homes because of the threat of war. A world where people don't have to fear others who are different and use violence as a response" Kenji replied.

Iruka was shocked at how elegant the answer was as the black-haired boy was willing to fight Naruto over an eraser prank, but he smiled at the determination that shined through the boy. Iruka wasn't the only one who saw it. Naruto who was initially antagonistic towards Kenji empathized with what he said and started to think he had Kenji pegged wrong. He was nothing like Sasuke who was more of a pessimist but with his history it was understandable. The red-haired girl with glasses who sat next to Naruto also felt every word he said. She wanted to know more about the boy and she thought about when the right time would be to introduce herself.

Kenji took a seat next to Naruto and the red-haired girl while Fu sat at the table above him next to a pink haired girl and a blonde girl. Not really following the conversation they were having, he did hear the two eventually identify themselves as Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. Kenji turned to Naruto who was staring at him before narrowing his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me?" Kenji questioned with no malice.

"Sorry about the eraser and all. It was meant for Iruka sensei" Naruto apologized while giving his sheepish grin.

"It's cool, what's done is done" Kenji smiled as his gaze lightened up. He could see how the prank could be funny at someone with Iruka's personality.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze and my goals to become the Hokage of the village" Naruto exclaimed proudly much to the dismay of a lot of other students in the room.

Kenji figured that this wouldn't be the last time he'd hear that statement but he still smiled and took a mental note to ask about Naruto's abilities later. He brought back his focus to Iruka who was giving a lecture on the shinobi rules.

"I could go on about the many rules that we as ninja are supposed to follow but the two basic ones are the ones you should never forget. Who can tell me what these two rules are?" Iruka asked as he looked in the direction of where Kenji and Fu were sitting.

Kenji had no idea what the answer was as he never learned much about shinobi rules during his time at the waterfall village but it was kind of clear that Iruka wanted one of the two to answer and he didn't want Fu to look like she knew nothing on the first day so he would take the blunt of the questioning.

Kenji was about to say something but as he was, he noticed the girl beside him slide a paper towards him with the first part saying "READ BELOW" with an arrow point down to an paragraph.

"A shinobi must never show any weakness and A shinobi must always be two steps ahead" Kenji read off the paper.

"That's correct but next time I would like it if you didn't get the assist of Karin" Iruka said slightly disappointed that the boy opted to cheat instead of just admitting he didn't know but he couldn't fault him. Iruka went back to lecturing while Kenji took out a pencil to write the words thank you with a smile before passing back to her.

Karin didn't appear to look at the note, but Kenji noticed a smile creep onto her face as she paid attention to Iruka's lecture.

* * *

The class was currently outside in the academy sparring area preparing for Taijutsu training. Earlier they had been practicing a bunch of stances and then they had a free period where they practiced what styles they were interested in with a few of the academy teachers roaming to give advice. Eventually the class was brought together to begin sparring.

"Alright now let's see what our new students can do" Mizuki, the current proctor for the taijutsu said

Fu stepped up first as it had been a while since she had last sparred. The last time she sparred was against Kenji at the waterfall village. She would not admit that she lost as she was very competitive, but the spar did end with Kenji having the upper hand. Mizuki was thinking who would be a good opponent for Fu but a girl stepped up to the challenge. Mizuki just smiled and nodded thinking that the spar would be over very fast. The person who stepped forward was none other than Sarada Uchiha. From what, Fu heard from the gossip by Sakura, she was the only other Uchiha alive in the village and she had the top marks in the academy along with her brother Sasuke Uchiha. Smirking, she knew that this would be a good spar.

"Now Fu, before we begin sparring it is customary to show the Seal of Confrontation" Mizuki said before putting his hand in the form of a one hand tiger hand seal

Fu just nodded before putting up the seal and Sarada did the same.

"Good luck" Fu said with a smile to be friendly

"Don't worry, I'll end it quick" Sarada responded in an arrogant tone which made Fu less than ecstatic to be sparring with her. Fu decided then and there that she wouldn't hold much back in this spar.

Neither girl made a move at the start as they both were waiting for the other to make a move. Fu began by launching towards Sarada's direction and swung a light jab towards Sarada. Sarada ducked under the jab and rotated her body while extending her leg to sweep Fu off her feet. Fu jump over the sweep only to see Sarada's other leg going at her at an incredible speed. Unable to dodge while she was in the air, she extended her arms out to shield her face and upper body. Fu was not expecting the force the kick and it launched Fu into the ground. Fu slammed into the ground with a loud thud. Sarada seeing an opening rushed towards Fu with the intent of finishing the fight but Fu got back on her feet and got back into her stance.

The two exchanged a flurry of strikes, both taking the time to parry strikes from others while sending strikes of their own towards the other. Sarada deflected one of Fu's punches and began to send her own only for Fu to spin and slam her back elbow to the side of her temple which shocked a lot of people. Sarada instinctively put her hand to her temple and had her mouth agape at the fact that she got rocked by Fu's elbow. She was in shock that she got such a clear hit on her so easily and that made her upset.

Fu was breathing heavily and felt pain on the arm that took the kick earlier in the fight, but she wanted to put Sarada in her place.

"So, what happened to ending it quick" Fu bragged with a smirk in between the breaths for air.

"That was a lucky shot, you won't get another one" Sarada declared with a glare.

Sarada didn't show it as much but she was also fatigued as she'd been going all out to take out Fu. She had one more trick up her sleeve but Mizuki stood in between them before they could continue.

"That's far enough. Good job both of you" Mizuki said impressed by the showing that both students had. Mizuki then looked towards Fu before speaking again "At the end of our sparring we give the Seal of Reconciliation to show that there are no hard feelings and the shinobi are still comrades"

Mizuki made the motions of locking his index and middle fingers together to show the seal of reconciliation. Fu extended her arm and locked her fingers within Sarada's fingers. The two released their fingers and walked back to the sidelines. Sarada gave a look to Sasuke to read his face but frowned at the look of disappointment that he seemed to be showing. The Uchiha were said to be the strongest clan in the Leaf Village before the massacre. Sarada and Sasuke were two of three Uchiha that survived the tragedy known as the Uchiha Massacre. The last Uchiha, known as Itachi Uchiha was the one who survived and committed the atrocity. Sarada was sleeping over at her friend Sakura's house but Sasuke had come home from the academy late and saw his bloodstained older brother standing over his parents. The smell of blood was nauseating and was something Sasuke could never forget. He could never forget the moment as Itachi used his sharingan to ingrain the moment in his mind. The Uchiha being massacred in cold blood, not only the military force but the civilians, the children, the mothers, the innocent. He constantly relived this trauma and justice had to be served. He lived for vengeance and would go to the ends of the earth to be the one to kill Itachi along with his sister. For this to happen, they would have to get much stronger. Therefore, he was slightly disappointed that Sarada was finding a challenge in this new academy member. He felt he had to show her how it's done and figured the boy couldn't have been as good as he was.

"Alright Kenji, are you ready? Mizuki asked as he was really wondering how Kenji would be since Fu performed so well.

"I'll face him" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

Naruto was in the process of getting up before Sasuke brushed past Naruto and stood in front of Kenji.

"HEY SASUKE, I CALLED IT FIRST" Naruto yelled angry that Sasuke completely disregarded the challenge Naruto gave to Kenji.

"Sit down Naruto" Mizuki declared while motioning to Sasuke. Naruto could tell from his tone that he wasn't going to change his mind, so he begrudgingly sat down with his arms crossed.

Mizuki felt bad that he had shut down Naruto in this manner, but he felt that the best way to test Kenji's talents was to pair him against his top student Sasuke Uchiha.

Kenji didn't like that the proctor had shut Naruto down like that and he really didn't like the elitist vibe that Sasuke had so he decided that he was not going to hold much back against him to put him in his place. Kenji put up the seal of confrontation and Sasuke did the same.

'This is going to be a piece of cake' Sasuke thought while staring at Kenji.

Kenji just stood there while glaring down Sasuke which he found amusing. He wouldn't have that look for long. Mizuki raised his hand and then dropped it to signify the spar had begun and immediately Sasuke charge at him with blinding speed looking to end Kenji with one move. He stretched his arm back looking to pin Kenji down with his fist ready if Kenji were to react.

There was an audible gasp before total silence. Sasuke blinked before he realized that he was on the floor and there was a foot on his chest pinning him down so that he would be unable to move. He looked up to see Kenji looking down at him. His eyes bore into his and he felt chills because the glare that he had was reminiscent of Itachi eyes.

"Don't be rude, wait your turn next time" Kenji said before taking his foot off and walking back to the sides of the field.

The entire class was in utter shock at what just transpired. Most of them hadn't even registered what took place and no one knew how to take it.

"What just happened" Sakura said shocked that anyone could stand up to Sasuke. It was no secret that she had an immense crush on the Uchiha boy and was rivals with Ino for his love.

"Kenji waited until the last minute to counter Sasuke's tackle. He just went with his flow and flipped him over his shoulder" Fu said matter-of-factly

"He probably cheated!" Ino shouted with anger with the assumption that kissing up to Sasuke could finally get him to notice her, but he didn't even glance at her to her disappointment.

"How old earth did he cheat Ino?" Karin questioned annoyed that the girl was making up excuses

"He had to have cheated or something! There is no way that Sasuke would lose so easily" Sakura sreeched in response and Karin just rolled her eyes.

Sarada knew that there was no basis in this argument, so she didn't even try to argue but she just stared at Kenji at wonder as he was able to take down her brother with just redirecting his body. She looked at Sasuke and could clearly see that he was fuming and would not let this go.

Sasuke was infuriated that he was practically embarrassed by this new student and began to step towards him before Sarada grabbed his hand. Sasuke felt her hand and immediately had a change in demeanor.

'This kid will do just fine' Mizuki thought before faking a cheery smile. "I have to say that was pretty impressive Kenji"

"Thanks" Kenji said before beginning to walk away.

"Hold on, you two have to do the seal of reconciliation" Mizuki said reminding both students that they should not have bad blood about the spar.

Sasuke walked towards Kenji and instead grabbed Kenji's shirt while staring at him.

"You got lucky with that one, but it won't EVER happen again" Sasuke declared with emphasis on ever.

"The result is always going to be the same." Kenji said clearly intending to provoke Sasuke further. Sasuke clenched his fist and was tempted to just punch the boy right there

"Sasuke, please stop" Sarada said with a slightly disapproving tone. Sasuke let go of the boy and reluctantly put his fingers out. Kenji deciding that he had his fun also put his fingers out and they locked fingers before quickly releasing.

* * *

It had been one month since the spar where Kenji defeated Sasuke and they had been settling in the leaf village very well. Sasuke had hostile towards Kenji since the spar and Kenji felt uncomfortable being near him because he could feel his eyes in class. The class also seem to segregate into several groups. There was the Anti-Kenji group which consisted of fanboys of Sasuke who despised Kenji. This group included Sakura Haruno who constantly downplayed him. Then there was the neutral crowd which consisted of much of the class. These were the people who did not really have an opinion either way. Then there was Kenji's group which consisted of friends. This included Fu, Naruto, Karin, Hinata, Sarada and sometimes Ino.

Hinata shortly began joining the group for lunch after Kenji realized that she would more than often stare at Naruto from afar, so he invited her to hang out with them. She rarely talked and only chimed in when directly asked a question but they all appreciated her presence there. Sarada began hanging out with Kenji and Fu as early as the week before. She formally apologized for her attitude and since has been friends with Fu. Sasuke didn't seem to like that she was hanging out with the guy who beat him but to watch out for his sister, he occasionally lurked from the shadows. Kenji got the impression that he was trying to soften up to them because he was planning something but he didn't really have any proof so he let it go.

Ino was a complex case since she had a conflict of interest. She liked Kenji and once they started getting to know each other, they would occasionally talk about Ino's interest in flowers and Kenji's interest in flashy gimmick jutsu. However, she still had her ridiculous crush on Sasuke and when questioned about it, she just gave the response that he was so cool. She tended to fluctuate on hating on Kenji depending on how she was feeling.

Kenji and Fu made their way to one of the public training areas to practice their ninjutsu. They decided that on the off days from the academy, they would be doing specialized training to be ahead of the pack. They would have invited more people, but everyone was busy, so it would have to be just the two of them for now. They finally made it to the training area and Kenji began to unpack the stuff that he brought. The first thing he took was the Chakra Induction Paper that he got from the Third Hokage along with a couple of scrolls that was brought from their village.

"Here Fu" Kenji said while handing the Chakra Induction Paper. Fu took the paper from Kenji and looked at it.

"How does it work?"

"I guess you just hold it in your hands and then pour chakra into it and it will tell you the natural affinity you have"

Fu held the paper in her palm before clasping her hands together and focusing chakra to her hands for a minute. Kenji didn't want to ruin her concentration, so he remained silent until Fu unclasped her hands and revealed a damp piece of paper in her hand.

"So that means you have a natural affinity for water" Kenji said while smiling.

"How about you?" Fu asked curious as to whether Kenji would have the same affinity as her

Kenji took a paper of his own and channeled the chakra from his body to his hand and immediately the paper split in his hands.

"Guess I'm a wind type" Kenji commented before pulling out the wind and the water scrolls for techniques. He handed Fu the water scroll while he took the wind scroll. He went to one of the trees and sat down to look at the scroll.

He opened it up and observed some of the techniques. A lot of the techniques revolved around using chakra infused wind to sharpen the weapons to but the one that caught his eye was the Wind Style: Air Bullet technique. Kenji preferred a mid to long range technique and that seemed like a perfect fit. The next couple of hours, he spent time learning the hand signs of the jutsu and properly using his chakra to compress the air within his body before releasing. He only took a break to check on Fu's progress. By the end of the day, he could begin to formulate a light breeze from the technique. It wasn't ideal, but it was a start. Fu on the other hand was making bubbles with her techniques.

Kenji was in the process of forming the hand seal for the technique before he felt a shift in the air. The feeling was all too familiar to him and it caused him to instinctively jump back, three shuriken whizzed and hit the spot where Kenji was. Kenji immediately pulled out three kunai while throwing two in the direction that the shuriken came from. He sped towards where Fu was to warn her of the impending danger, but she was nowhere to be found. All that was at the scene was a medium sized crater near where she was sitting. Kenji almost freaked out, but he knew that was the worst thing he could do at the moment. Pulling his focus back, he saw a shadowy figure run through the woods and Kenji charged the chakra in his leg to leap towards the woods. He landed on a tree to scan the surroundings before he felt his leg buckle. He turned to see the shadowy figure behind him who had just stomped his foot into the back of Kenji's knees. The force of the stomp and the surprise of it made Kenji slip and fall off the tree but he recovered before he hit the ground.

Now they were in a clearing near a pond where the moonlight shined above them and for the first time, Kenji saw who his assailant was. Sasuke Uchiha stood across from him with his hands in his pocket smirking

"What the hell dude? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Kenji yelled.

"I had to put you in your place and now nobody can interrupt us" Sasuke said arrogantly before reaching in his back pocket.

Kenji had no intentions to let him use anything, so he rushed towards Sasuke but the distance between the two allowed Sasuke to throw two kunai at Kenji. Kenji ducked below the two kunai and with the kunai he had in his hand attempted to swipe at Sasuke. Sasuke with a kunai of his own deflected the kunai and threw his free hand at Kenji but Kenji ducked and went back on the attack. The two slashed at each other while successfully dogding each other's kunai, neither could get the advantage over the other. Kenji got an idea and feinted a slash before pulling back, Sasuke returned with a stab but Kenji retaliated by grabbing his wrist and pulling him down before hitting him square in the face with a knee. Sasuke staggered back and drop to a knee.

"I told you, the result will always be the same. Go home" Kenji declared before beginning to turn his back on Sasuke.

"DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME" Sasuke snarled before beginning to weave hand signs.

* * *

Fu had been practicing the Water Release: Bubbles Technique from the scroll Kenji gave to her. When she first saw it, she facepalmed at how ridiculous it sounds but after further reading the scroll, she saw that the many applications of the jutsu could be very useful for a multitude of reasons. So, she began practicing how to mold her chakra from within to form the liquid in her body into the composition of a bubble. This was much easier said than done for her and she was able to spit out multiple bubbles, but she was having the problem of keeping them formed as they popped a couple of seconds after being released. She was trying to create the application where she would be able to make the bubbles explode on command and was thinking about how useful it would be when she heard a step on a branch. She swung her head towards the trees wondering who it could be.

"Kenji?" Fu said with a bit of doubt in her voice before instantly frowning when seeing who it was

Sarada Uchiha stepped out of the shadows and walked towards Fu.

"Kenji's fighting Sasuke, I don't want to fight you, but I can't let you stop them" Sarada said with a frown. She really wanted no part of this but Sasuke insisted that they reclaim their honor. There was the part of her that wanted a rematch, but she at least knew that there was a time and a place for everything. Sasuke wasn't thinking and was blinded by his pride but Sarada could see that this was not the brightest idea. Nevertheless, she decided to follow Sasuke's lead as he was the only family she had left, and he was right that they needed to get stronger for Itachi.

Fu was speechless at the idea that Sasuke would pick a fight against Kenji out of school grounds and began to run towards the direction where she last saw him. A tingle hit Fu's spine and she instinctively dodged the punch Sarada threw at her from behind. Fu was expecting her to land softly but Sarada's fist hit the ground with an excessive amount of force and the ground crumbled around her. Sarada now stood within a small crater that was done by her fist.

'When did she get so strong' Fu thought before making a beeline for the forest to find Kenji. Sarada trailed her throwing multiple shurikens to slow her down.

Fu could do nothing but dodge while she ran through the forest, ducking under branches, side stepping trees and ducking shurikens aimed at her head. She could feel the fatigue hitting her, but she had to keep running to stop Sasuke. Her heart was beating so hard and she had never been more anxious in her life, she questioned whether this was really the kind of life that kunochi and shinobi alike had to deal with every time they left the safety of their village. Lost in her thoughts, she tripped over a branch and turned around expecting Sarada to pummel her, but she was nowhere in sight. She realized that it had been a while since ninja tools were thrown at her and she assumed that Sarada ran out, but it had been because she escaped and managed to lose her in the forest.

The forest was now silent, and all Fu could hear were the crickets and her beating heart drumming against her chest. She exhaled the breath she had been keeping in and realized she was much tired than she was before. The adrenaline she had from the ambush was wearing off and her entire body felt sore. She felt so exhausted and was contemplating taking a break but then she heard someone shout out from the clearing ahead. Curious to see who it was she pushed chakra to her legs to start running towards the clearing.

Finally making it to the clearing, Fu saw Kenji beginning to walk away from Sasuke while Sasuke yelled at him and started to weave hand signs. Knowing nothing good would come from this, Fu began focusing what little chakra she had to her feet.

"FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU" Sasuke yelled as he put the tiger sign up and a stream of fire engulfed the clearing.

Kenji had been in shock that Sasuke knew a technique and had began running to try to outrun the jutsu, but the flame was roaring at a high rate of speed towards Kenji. Kenji put his hands up and closed his eyes to wait for the flames to scorch his body. Fu without any regards for her body and without any hesitation leaped towards Kenji, bracing her arms around him to shield him from the fire. She closed her eyes unsure of what would happen next but instead of a hot scorching pain, she felt a splash and a cool sensation around her body.

Sasuke fell to his knees after depleting his chakra on the jutsu. He could not hold his smirk as he breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then looked up and his face turned to one of absolute horror. Sasuke immediately regretted his decision of using his fire ninjutsu. What Sasuke witnessed was a out of control wildfire that was running rampant in the area. It was as if it were hell on earth.

 **A/N: Wowzers now that was kind of a long chapter. I missed my deadline of posting by one day but at least I got it by the end of the week. This was meant to be an introductory chapter for the relationships of several characters but like all things, it took a left turn with some hostility. We are already starting to see a bit of divergence from the canon as Karin and Sarada are a part of the story. Karin has always been an underrated character for me that could have been developed a lot and Sarada is one of the only few things I really like from the Boruto series so naturally she's here.**

 **I took the liberty of making Naruto a Namikaze instead of an Uzumaki. How it affects the story will be addressed in future chapters. As always, leave your reviews, questions, critiques and correction down below.**


	3. Exam Day

The roaring flames spread throughout the forest spreading its fiery limbs through every patch of grass and every tree in sight. Sasuke stood stunned at the amount of damage he just created, he was responsible for starting a wildfire in the leaf village. He had no idea what the punishment for the crime was, but he wasn't going to stick around and find out. He had begun to leave the scene, but he heard a gasp for air and a splash which caused him to look in the direction of the noise. Sasuke frowned considerably when he saw Fu and Kenji poke their heads out of the pond. He wasn't trying to kill them, but he was hoping that he would have put them out of commission with his jutsu. A bit of the pressure he was feeling did subside when he realize that he didn't have to worry about being blamed for the death of his classmates.

Kenji and Fu pulled themselves outside of the pond and both gasped at the wildfire that was caused by Sasuke's jutsu. Kenji turned to see Sasuke staring at him and immediately pulled out a kunai. Sasuke went back into his battle stance. He was ready to continue where they left off but Fu stood in front of him with her hands stretched out.  
battle

"We don't have time for this, we've got to get out of here before they send someone" Fu said trying to talk some sense into Kenji and Sasuke.

Kenji thought about it for a second before putting his kunai back in its pouch. A part of him was glad that Fu was thinking rationally as he was exhausted from training and the fight with Sasuke before. Sasuke was also tired and all his chakra was nearly consumed. Kenji grabbed Fu's hand and ran towards the training ground entrance while Sasuke trailed behind them.

They made it to the entrance where they saw Sarada waiting for Sasuke.

"SASUKE!" Sarada shouted as she ran to give him a hug. She had been worried that Sasuke could have been hurt but she was happy that Sasuke appeared to be fine. She hugged Sasuke who briefly returned the sentiment.

"This is all nice and all but we've got to get out of here" Kenji stated before grabbing Fu's hand.

"HEY YOU FOUR! HOLD ON" a voice in the distance shouted.

Kenji looked in the direction to see what appeared to be two Jonin rushing towards them in the distance. Everyone wasted no time in scattering into the village to lose the Jonin. They ran a few blocks from the training grounds. The streets were beginning to lose it's crowd due to it being late. Fortunately, the training grounds were near their apartment, so Kenji and Fu would be able to make it there soon. Not wanting to appear suspicious, they decided to stop running to be

Kenji noticed that Sasuke and Sarada were trailing behind them, so he stopped and turned to both Uchiha members.

"Why are you following us still, you got what you want and you almost screwed us over" Kenji said.

"Shut up loser, all of this is your fault!" Sasuke stated with a glare towards Kenji

"Yeah it's totally my fault, I am the genius who decided to light a forest on fire because I'm a narcissist who can't admit he lost" Kenji said sarcastically.

Sasuke clenched his fist but then calmed down when he realized that it would just lead to more bad news.

"Yo" A voice said behind them

Everyone jumped in surprised and turned to see a Jonin standing behind them. Kenji looked at him as he seemed familiar, but Fu instantly recognized him

"Hey, you're that Kakashi guy we met when we first came to the village" Fu said smiling.

"It's good to see you too Fu, how are you all doing?" Kakashi said cheerfully.

Fu instantly was reminded of the events that transpired and wasn't sure what to say in response but Kenji knowing that Fu wasn't good at lying decided to jump in

"We were hanging out with Sasuke and Sarada and are coming back from eating" Kenji said without a hiccup in his voice.

Sasuke gave a bewildered look at Kenji before regaining his posture.

"You don't seem to share the same sentiment do you Sasuke" Kakashi said picking up on Sasuke's reaction.

"No, he's right. I was giving Kenji tips on how to stop being a slacker in class. He practically begged me to help him to become a better ninja" Sasuke said dismissively.

Kenji eyebrows arched, and his face tensed despite showing a smile and this was something that Kakashi easily caught but he didn't mention it.

" Yeah Sasuke was giving us tips on how to be a better ninja, he showed us the importance of fleeing when the situation gets hot" Fu said which lead to Kenji smiling heavily trying to hold his laughter

"Listen here you little sh…." Sasuke began to say before Sarada cut him off.

"I'm sorry, it's really getting late and we have to get going" Sarada said with a hint of urgency.

"Yeah our apartment is at the end of the block, we really have to be getting to sleep" Kenji said agreeing with Sarada.

"Oh well I won't keep you waiting any longer. I think it's great that you've made some friends so close to where you stay Kenji" Kakashi said

"What are you talking about?" Kenji questioned not exactly understanding what Kakashi was referring to

"Oh you didn't know? Sasuke lives in the same building as you" Kakashi said in a giddy tone.

Sasuke and Kenji looked at each other with wild bewilderment before regaining their composure. Kenji wondered why Sasuke and Sarada would be living in the same apartment as he pretty sure when looking at a map of the village that there was an Uchiha compound somewhere in the village.

"Well I guess I'll take my leave… Oh by the way, you kids wouldn't know anything about the wildfire incident at one of the village training grounds would you?"

"No idea" they all said in unison

"Hmmm ok, you kids stay safe now" Kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of smoke

"Jeez that was a close one" Kenji said while wiping his forehead. It had been stressful thinking what would have happened if Kakashi found out that they were responsible for the wildfire. Kenji turned to see Sasuke and Sarada entering the same apartment complex that they lived in.

"Figures... Not even a thank you for covering his ass" Kenji said under his break.

"Be nice, at least the day is done." Fu responded legs still sore from all the running she had to do.

* * *

"Have you ever thought about cutting your hair" Fu asked while putting a sushi roll into her mouth.

Kenji ran his hand through his hair, his hair had grown in the last 6 months and he gotten a bit taller too. He liked where his hair was as it rested along right above his shoulders. Kenji was currently was at lunch with Fu, Karin, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Hinata and Sarada.

"Nah, I like the look"

"Careful now, cut it too low and Karin might lose her crush on you" Naruto said off handedly before a foot slammed down on his head. He immediately fell off the chair which made everyone else burst into laughter. Karin with a huge blush on her face went back to her miso ramen and everything became silent once more once.

"Are you guys ready for the graduation exams?" Naruto said once back on his chair

"Do you even have to ask? Pretty much all of us are at the top marks right now so it should be a breeze" Sarada replied

"If anything, I'd say you're the only one of us who isn't ready Naruto" Fu said with her tongue sticking out

Fu had a point since Naruto did not have as good as marks as everyone else. He wasn't a slouch at all, but he was more of a practical learner than a bookworm and that had some effect on his assignments.

"The better question is who's going to get the best marks" Ino said with a smirk

"It'll obviously be me" Both Sasuke and Kenji said in unison before scowling at each other.

"Why do you think it would be you? I'm better than you"

"Well I was the one who kicked your ass last week during Taijutsu training" Sasuke replied a smirk

"INO DISTRACTED ME!" Kenji shouted with a blush remembering the event.

"Don't be angry that I'm beautiful" Ino said angrily that Kenji tried to use her as an excuse

Ino furrowed her brow, she didn't intend to distract Kenji. In fact, she was trying to get Sasuke's attention by showing off her new sundress outfit that she brought to class but it had the opposite effect. Sasuke didn't even seem to glance at her whereas Kenji gawked at her. The momentary distraction allowed Sasuke to flip him over and hold his fist over his face giving him the victory.

She toned out their argument to just observe how chummy the two had gotten in the past 6 months. She first assumed that they would have grown to be the worst of rivals when she found out that the Uchihas were Kenji and Fu's next-door neighbors in the same pricey apartment complex, but something had been different almost immediately. Although they were still usually antagonistic towards each other, there was something off about them. She had been shocked to find out that they had been training with each other occasionally. Kenji however said it was to keep him in check whatever that meant but clearly, she saw that it was a mutually beneficial relationship when it was revealed that Sasuke helped Kenji with doing a fire style technique. She brought herself out of her mind when she heard they were talking about her.

"Real shinobi don't get distracted by stupid things" Sasuke said.

"Don't be a dick Sasuke" Karin said irritated that Sasuke was oblivious to the girl's feelings.

Kenji glanced at Ino and saw the shift in her mood when he said that, so he decided that he would try to cheer up.

"Real shinobi do get distracted by pretty girls though"

Ino immediately blushed after hearing Kenji's statement. She was not one to have such a reaction from a compliment as she always got them from academy students, but it felt a bit different hearing it from Kenji.

Kenji was going to say another comment, but he felt a sharp kick hit him from the bottom of the table

"Ow, what the hell Karin?"

"Oops it was an accident" Karin said with a smile although on the inside she was reeling a bit that Kenji gave Ino a compliment. Kenji was just as inconsiderate to people who liked him as Sasuke was. Kenji took her apology but the more he thought about it the more he realized that she didn't really apologize to begin with.

The bell rang which indicated that lunch period was over, and Kenji groaned at the fact that he would have to go back to class. He took one last bite out of his sandwich before following group back to the classroom.

* * *

Kenji slumped his head down on the table in despair after giving his written exam paper. A week had passed, and he was in such high spirits a couple of hours ago that he would ace the written exam. That was until Kenji got the test in his hand from Mizuki, the proctor of the exam.

'This is going to be a breeze' Kenji mentally said prepping himself for the question.

'Question One: Decipher the cryptograph above using the pictured cipher which was used by the Leaf Village during the Second Shinobi World War.' He read before immediately freezing up

It was like a kunai pierced the chest of his body. How the hell was he expected to know something like this when it was never covered in the class? Kenji's eyes darted around to see how the other students were fairing and was shocked to see that almost everyone was working through the exam. Even the weird sub-par Kiba seem to be flying through the exam pages. Sighing to himself, he tried to answer the 25-question test which seem to get excruciatingly difficult with every question. By the time he was done, he felt like he was broken.

Kenji stopped remembering what happened and put his head up when Fu started to walk towards his seat. She was just about to say something but Mizuki came up to him.

"Sorry to interrupt, Kenji do you mind I speak to you for a second outside?" Mizuki said calmly in his usual cheery manner.

"Uh sure, I was going to talk to you anyway" Kenji said before looking at Fu

"I'll talk to you after this"

"Ok" Fu said a bit saddened by the fact that she would have to wait to speak to Kenji.

Kenji followed Mizuki who seemed to lead him outside of the academy to the back of the building which Kenji found odd. He decided to bring up the exam grade.

"Hey Mizuki sensei, I think there was an issue with my exam. I don't think I…" Kenji began to say before Mizuki interrupted

"That's why I brought you here" Mizuki said before flashing a smile that Kenji found creepy.

"I'm disappointed in you Kenji, you got the worst scores out of the entire class. Now I can easily change the grade for you to give you a passing grade, but you have to do something for me first"

Kenji couldn't believe that he gotten the worst score in the class especially since his class had students like Kiba who all weren't that bright.

"Can you look it over again? I think that there was an error with the grading" Kenji said nervously realizing that he would have to repeat the academy.

"Make no mistake, this is just a courtesy I wanted to give you because of how much of a good student you've been but if you want to pass this offer then I will go to one of the other students who failed the exam" Mizuki said sternly.

Mizuki had begun to walk away before Kenji ran up to him.

"Wait! Ok I'll do it. What do you need" Kenji said dejectedly.

Mizuki gave a smile which looked sinister which was not lost on Kenji but he needed to past the academy with all his friends. He had heard stories about students who remained in academy for years and the usual trend was that these people had to retire because they weren't good enough to be Genin.

Mizuki pulled out a scroll out of one of the pockets from his chunin vest and tossed it at Kenji.

"At Midnight, you will have the task of obtaining a particular scroll called the scroll of sealing from the Hokage's Mansion"

"You want me to commit a robbery on the Hokage!?" Kenji said shocked

"Absolutely not, this is just a unique examination that is done for students who fail the written exam. We do this for the kind of students who excel in raw ninja skills as opposed to the more practical students who can excel in written exams, catch my drift" Mizuki explained.

Kenji knew that Mizuki explanation was complete garbage, but he also knew that Mizuki oversaw the grading and he was in a position where he could bury. He though about the options and made his decision.

"I'll do it, what does this scroll look like and where do I bring it" Kenji inquired

"That's the attitude I like, that scroll I gave you is the schematics to the Hokage's mansion, there is generally a perimeter of Anbu and Tokubetsu Jōnin but the shifts change at midnight and that will be your opening to getting in the mansion. The scroll should be locked behind a glass display and it's a giant scroll with green markings"

"I'll be proctoring from the outside to make sure no one interferes in your examination but you are absolutely required to not get caught by anyone or it's an immediate disqualification. You will meet up with me at the location marked on the scroll."

'This doesn't sound right' Kenji thought before realizing that he was curious about what was in the scroll.

"Yes Sir" Kenji said before beginning to walk away. He'd have a lot of preparing to do because he could not afford to fail this exam after failing the first.

"One more thing Kenji, you cannot tell anyone about this because it causes a huge ruckus in the academy and this exam is only for a specific set of students. Understand?"

"Yeah I got it. If that's all, I must go back to class now"

"No problem, good luck with the exam" Mizuki said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Kenji walked back into the classroom and sat down. Fu noticed that he was deep in thought which was usually normal but the circumstances of talking to Mizuki made her suspicious.

"Is everything ok Kenji?" Fu asked with a deep concerned gaze.

Kenji delivered a smile before responding. "Everything is great, why wouldn't they be?"

 **A/N: Hello my fellow Naruto fans and readers, I guess I've got some explaining to do on why I haven't updated in months (maybe a year if we're being honest). Well the simple answer is that life works in mysterious ways and I've been going through a lot of change in my life. Everything seemed to slow down which means that I'll hopefully be able to update more. I am planning to get into a schedule of dropping 1 chapter per month for each story. I feel like 1 chapter a month for two stories is doable.**

 **Now here is the good news, I'm already almost done with the next chapter so you get two chapters this month for this story as kind of a sorry for not updating sooner. The next chapter should be up the next week or so and don't forget to review, I read all of them regardless of whether it's praise, criticism, questions or just comments on the story.**


	4. The Scroll Heist

Class had just ended, and Kenji was walking through the village like a man on a mission. In a few hours, he had been tasked with a second chance to pass the academy exams which he failed. It was a completely unfair situation, but he felt like he had no choice but to play along despite how weird Mizuki was being about it. Kenji had most of his plan for infiltrating the Hokage Residence ready but there was one crucial item that he needed for. He was pulled from his thoughts when a cool hand cupped his cheek. He looked up to see Fu gazing at him with stern eyes.

"Seriously Kenji, what's the matter? You've been distracted all day and I know that means you're thinking of something" Fu voiced very concerned with how Kenji seemed

Kenji contemplated lying again to Fu but knowing that they were all the other hand, he knew this was something he could not keep from her.

"Don't freak out but I failed the academy graduation exam" Kenji said with a hint of sadness in his voice

"YOU WHAT?!" Fu shrieked before looking around and blushing when realizing she was causing a commotion in the village square

"How is that possible? The exam was really easy and the majority of students aced it" Fu asked in a lower tone so no one could hear other than Kenji.

"I think Mizuki-Sensei gave me a different test that would be impossible for me to pass" Kenji said with certainty

"But why?"

"I don't know but he offered me a chance to graduate if I stole a scroll called the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's Mansion"

"Well you aren't going to do it right? We can go to the Third Hokage and clear this up. He's obviously using you to commit a crime punishable by DEATH" Fu said with emphasis

"I am going to do it not because I trust Mizuki but because I want the scroll"

"WHY would you want the scroll, you don't even know what's in it!" Fu said with an increasingly loud voice.

Fu was irritated that Kenji would risk everything Hisen-Sensei did to get them into the Leaf Village and she damn sure was not going to let Kenji ruin it because he got too greedy. She was about to give him a piece of her mind before she felt his hands grab hers.

"Relax, I have a plan, but I need your help so can you please help me? I promise I'll owe you one" Kenji pleaded.

Fu groaned before facepalming. "Alright what's your plan?" Fu asked. Kenji smiled before detailing what he had planned for Mizuki.

* * *

Fu observed the sign of the shop she stood in front of. She had passed by the shop with her friends on her way to Dango Shop or the training grounds, but she never needed to enter until now. She strolled inside the shop and made her way to the counter.

"Hi how may I help you" The older man asked happy to see a customer in his shop

"Hello, I have a request for a scroll" Fu replied while handing a scroll consisting of the dimensions and the design of the scroll.

The man read the scroll for about 10 seconds before nodding. "No problem, it'll be 500 ryo and it will take me about an hour to design"

"That's no problem, I'll pick it up when you are finished" Fu said smiling before turning to leave the shop.

She knew that the chances of this could go wrong very quick, but she still had faith that everything would go well. She wondered how Kenji was doing in his task before making her way to her apartment.

* * *

Kenji took a hard-deep breath before knocking on the door. He hadn't been to this part of town in his time of the village as this was considered more of the affluent part of the village where more of the wealthier, more prestigious clans lived.

The door opened to reveal Naruto who was grinning from ear to ear. "Hey Kenji!" he said happily.

"Hey Naruto, how'd your exam go?" Kenji asked not really concerned about how Naruto did, but he wanted to make Naruto feel like this was just a social visit.

"I did pretty good! I heard that everyone passed except for one idiot" Naruto said with a chuckle

Kenji had to hold back a scowl. "Yeah that test was super easy, I wonder who it was that failed"

"Who knows? Oh, hey since you're here maybe we could have a spar" Naruto said joyously while cracking his knuckles.

"Maybe another time, is Karin here? Kenji said going to the point.

"Uh yeah she's in her room, it's upstairs and the second door to the left" Naruto said while pointing to the stairs"

Kenji took off his shoes and walked upstairs while Naruto walked to the kitchen and began making some celebratory Ramen. Kenji looked around and noticed the framed pictures on the wall. It was no secret that Naruto and Karin were the children of the Fourth Hokage but the details of his demise were cloudy.

It was only said in the textbooks that he died fighting valiantly against the Nine Tailed Fox during its assault on the Leaf Village. He never mentioned it to Naruto or Karin because he felt like it would be too much for them. He also was curious about why Naruto and Karin had different last names. His thoughts were stopped when he made it to the door. He knocked on her door.

"Naruto for the millionth time, I am not going to wash your clothes" Karin said absentmindedly while opening the door to scold Naruto

"….Oh Kenji" Karin said with a blush appearing which was not unnoticed by Kenji

"Hey Karin, can I come in" Kenji said calmly

"Of course," Karin said motioning for Kenji to enter the room before closing the door

Kenji walked in her room and noted the pink walls along with the giant plushie of a giant Fox. He looked around to see the girly accessories she had on her dresser. He turned to see her sitting on her bed.

"Nice room"

"Thanks, but did you really come here to talk about my room?" Karin said. She had been curious at why Kenji showed up at her house. This was the first time he had came and it was also the first time he was in her room. She felt a little giddy at the fact that he was there, but she tried her best not to make it show.

"You're right, I need your help with something, did you hear about the academy exams?"

"Yeah, I heard that everyone in our class passed except for 1 person" Karin said before adjusting her glasses.

"Yeah, it was me" Kenji said plainly. He felt annoyed at how many times he had to say it but at this point, he felt he was getting really used to saying it.

"That's impossible, that test was really easy, and you were definitely prepared for it" Karin said shocked that Kenji failed the exam. If students like Choji and Kiba could pass the written exam, then there was something going on with the grading.

"Long story short, Mizuki has set me up to try to steal the Scroll of Sealing from the Hokage Mansion."

"Are you insane?!" Karin screeched before being shushed by Kenji

"You're the second person to have that reaction" Kenji said frowning

"Maybe that's because attempted robbery of the Hokage's mansion is…."

"Is punishable by death, yeah, yeah I heard the speech already. Will you help me?"

Kenji could see that Karin was deep in thought so he decided if there was any chance to convince her to help, it would have to be now.

"Please Karin, it's his word against mines and who's going to believe the new guy who isn't from the village" Kenji pleaded

"If the Hokage finds out…."

"He won't, I just need you to go pay him a visit around 11 PM. You and Naruto go see him all the time, right? Just go see him and make sure the coast is clear. Nobody gets hurt and I get the scroll for Mizuki" Kenji explained.

Karin thought about her options and although her mind told her it was a bad idea, her heart hoped that doing this would help Kenji realize that she was there for him whenever he needed it. She bit on her lip which made Kenji realize that he was putting Karin in a bad spot, so he had begun to tell her that she didn't need to help but she interrupted him.

"I'll do it but if it goes too far, I am going to tell the Hokage what happened, and you OWE ME BIG TIME" Karin emphasized.

Kenji smiled and leaped at Karin embracing her within his arms.

"Thanks Karin, I won't forget this!" Kenji said hugging Karin. Karin could not process what had happened and before she knew it, it was over. Kenji had run out of the door and she was alone in her room once again.

* * *

Sarada was just making her way back home from shuriken training, her thighs ached as she walked up the stairs to enter her apartment building which she shared with Sasuke. He decided to continue his training, so she was alone for the time being. She paused when she heard a woman call her name.

She turned to see Fu walking up to her. She immediately tensed when she saw her as flashbacks of their fight in the training grounds 6 months ago, they proceeded to be friendly, but she still felt like Fu held something against her for standing by her brother. She could just feel the awkwardness between them, but she fought her nervousness and spoke up.

"Hey Fu, how's it going"

"Pretty good, do you mind if we talk for a minute?" Fu replied in her normal cheery tone but Sarada noticed the nervousness in her voice but decided to hear her out.

"Sure" Sarada answered while opening the door of the apartment complex for Fu to enter with her and for the first time, she noticed that Fu had a large bag with her.

* * *

Kenji looked at his wristwatch as he began to prepare to make his way to the Hokage Mansion. The time was 10:45 and this would be around the time where the village would start to appear as a ghost town as the vibrant populated village during the day appeared near desolate when it was night.

Kenji zipped up the all black camo jacket he recently purchased and looked at the mask on his bed staring back at him. The mask was all black which normally would be used for when the village had a celebration going on, but it would be used to conceal his identity. Next to his bag was a pouch of ninja tools which consisted of 14 shuriken, 9 kunai, 2 smoke bombs, a match and a paper tag which Kenji hoped he wouldn't have to use. Ninja tool were forbidden to be sold to anyone who wasn't a graduate of the ninja academy and in the active shinobi ranks so Kenji had to use what he brought and saved from when he initially left the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls.

He attached the pouch to his belt and put his mask on. He looked in the mirror and smiled at how good the outfit was. He lifted his hood up to cover his hair and then looked at this watch again. It was now 10:50 and he was ready to go.

He had to make sure that no one saw him, which was simple enough, however given the plans that Mizuki gave him, the shift change would be at midnight, but he knew Mizuki would be watching and could probably assist. He just hoped that Mizuki wouldn't catch on to what he had been planning in addition to the current plan.

Kenji opened his window and hopped out before shutting the window. He poured some chakra to his feet and proceeded to hop between rooftops. As he made his way to the Hokage mansion, he noted how empty and quiet the village seemed. He felt like he could hear every sound he made while hoping on the roofs even though he knew that no one else would hear the sounds.

Eventually Kenji was a block away from the Mansion and it was 11:30. He could have got there sooner but he wanted to be extra careful in making sure he did not run into any patrolling chunin around. He took a deep breath before lunging into a bush nearby the rear entrance of the mansion.

From there, all Kenji had to do was wait until midnight during the shift change before he could make his move. The 30 minutes dragged on and seemed like an eternity to the point where Kenji felt like he was going insane. He nearly began to doze off until he heard people talking and he looked out of the bush. From what he could see, he counted eight shinobi all dressed in grey vests and white masks with various red markings. He immediately recognized them as the ANBU Black ops which they vaguely discuss during class. He knew enough to know that they were the covert tactical ninja squad normally tasked with the highest caliber missions and the defense of the most powerful village heads. They were heralded as one of the most efficient black ops programs even outside of the village. He also knew that it would be extremely bad if he were to be caught by one of them. He continued to look until the group proceeded to break into two groups of four and they all vanished. He took this as confirmation of the shift change.

He looked at his watch only to see that it was finally midnight and he wondered how the hell he was going to be able to sneak into the mansion without alerting 4 members of one of the most elite groups in the entire village until something caught his attention. He heard a slight clink of metal and at first, he thought he was hearing things until he saw a body fall from the sky only to be quickly caught by someone hidden within the shadows. He immediately recognized the stranger as Mizuki and the fallen ninja as one of the ANBU members.

Kenji was astonished at the amount of skill it would need to kill one of the members but he shifted his focus and realized Mizuki was clearing out the security and he took it as a signal for him to proceed.

Kenji poured some chakra into his legs and quickly began climbing the Hokage building before climbing through one of the upper-level windows which happened to be open to Kenji's advantage.

The mansion/office was extremely dark due to the lights being out and there was no one in sight. Kenji vaguely remembered the layout of the mansion, but he wanted to be precise, so he took out the scroll Mizuki gave him and proceeded to make his way to the room hoping he wouldn't have any resistance on his way.

He walked into a room that had bookcases full of scrolls but the scroll he was interested in was in open display in the centerpiece of the room. Kenji quickly made his way to the scroll and put it on his back before beginning to make his way out of the room and back to the window he entered the building from.

He grinned to himself thinking how this felt way too easy and then his heart dropped when he heard a deep voice laughing down the hall.

"Such memories of growing up we've had together Karin" the voice echoed through the halls.

Kenji smiled at the realization that Karin was in the building and then his heart dropped when he realized that the Third Hokage Hiruzen was nearby and in the room that was across from the window he needed to leave from. He took one step back and immediately realized it was a mistake when the conversation paused before continuing.

"Excuse me for a moment Karin, I have to go to my office to check something," Hiruzen said  
before walking out of the room.

Kenji immediately postured himself behind a nearby bookcase that was there and hope to all that was good in the world that he would just walk by and go to his office but Hiruzen walked out of the room and closed the door. He immediately walked towards the bookcase before stopping.

"Who are you and who put you up to this?" He said with a deep authority's tone and Kenji felt shivers go through his spine. He was now in panic mode.

Kenji opened his mouth to speak but then felt a surge of chakra build up from Hiruzen and Kenji immediately responded almost in reflex to drop a smoke bomb and make a dash straight to the window but as the bomb detonated and Kenji took one step, he was greeted with a knee to the gut that felt like he was being speared through the stomach. He flew across the room and slammed into the wall.

Hiruzen began weaving through multiple handsigns faster than what Kenji could process and he felt like his life was going to end until a door right next to him opened to see a nervous Karin coming out of the room and he realized the Hokage stopped his handsigns.

"Is everything ok?" Karin said after deciding to open the door after hearing noise outside of the room.

Kenji immediately lunged up and grabbed Karin pushing a Kunai to her throat. Karin could do nothing but freeze at the sudden realization that a masked assailant was holding her hostage. She knew that this was probably Kenji and she mentally cursed him for getting caught and herself for deciding to go along with this. She realized that Kenji wouldn't hurt her, but she was worried about his safety.

"Let her go and let's just talk about this" Hiruzen said in a lower term while lifting his hands in order to defuse the situation.

Kenji realized that he had the edge and reached into his pouch. He mentally cursed himself when Hiruzen made a dash towards him. Kenji pulled out a paper tag and pushed Karin towards the wall. He leaped back and immediately detonated the paper tag which created a shockwave throughout the building.

* * *

An echoing ring was all Karin could hear, it all happened in a second. She was being held hostage by a thief who she knew was Kenji and suddenly, she was shoved, she saw Hiruzen dash towards her and he was able to wrap his arms around her before a huge explosion went off. Her glasses must have fallen during the shockwave because her vision was blurry and there was no sound but the ringing she heard in her ears. She tried to feel the ground to get a sense of where she was and find her glasses but her search was stopped when someone put her glasses on for her.

She looked up to see Hiruzen looking down at her with a look of concern. He spoke but she could not hear the words. It took a little bit for the ringing to slowly recede and before she knew it, she could hear again.

"Are you alright?" Hiruzen said concerned that Karin could have been hurt.

"I'm fine" Karin replied before going into a small coughing fit. She had inhaled some of the lingering ash and it got in her lungs. She couldn't help but cough after feeling the burning ash down her throat. She composed herself and then she began to panic as she realized that Kenji could have gotten hurt. She looked around but she could not see anybody for and for the first time she realizes that there was a giant hole where one of the walls had been.

Karin began to stand up as 4 ANBU black op members appeared in the hallway through the hole that opened the Hokage residence. Hiruzen immediately focused to the topic at hand and turned to the ANBU members.

"We have an intruder in the village, they have the Scroll of Sealing in their possession," Hiruzen said in his normal authoritative tone.

"Three of the ANBU patrolling the residence were found dead" One of the members spoke

"The person who infiltrated was good enough to get in without immediately alerting me but he was sloppy. He wouldn't have been able to kill a member of the ANBU" Hiruzen analyzing the situation before beginning to speak again. "Find them and disarm them but deadly force is authorized"

"Wait!" Karin screamed attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.

"What is it Karin?" Hiruzen asked curious at why the girl had an outburst.

"I have something I need to tell you"

* * *

Kenji felt like his heart would explode from the speed of his heartbeat. He currently was leaping from tree branch to tree branch to get some distance from the mansion. It was a miracle that the blast from the paper tag he detonated didn't harm him. He only hoped that Karin was not hurt from the explosion.

He felt exhausted but he could not stop, he was currently on his way to the rendezvous point where he would meet Mizuki and hand him the scroll. He looked at his watch and realized that he had enough time to make a quick stop. He leaped on to a tree branch but dropped off the branch to fall into a bush. Kenji quickly took the scroll off his back, placed it between the bush before kneeling in a bush. He put his hands to his mouth in a clasped motion before blowing a whistle at small intervals. To the untrained ear, it would appear as if a crow were in the area but to Fu, it would be a signal that he was waiting for her.

A branch brushed slightly with startled Kenji but when he peered out of the bush, he saw a familiar face along with a tag along.

He smiled when he realized that Fu had come as planned with a giant replica of the scroll of sealing on her back and then his smile dropped when he realized that Sarada Uchiha was with her

"What the hell Fu." Kenji whispered in a frantic tone, shocked that Fu would bring Sarada with her without even telling him, "Are you insane? What if she decides to tell on us?"

Fu realizing they were short on time decided to cut Kenji off before he could give her a piece of his mind, "Look, I know you wanted to go make the exchange with Mizuki alone but I don't trust him and you shouldn't either" she pleaded, hoping that maybe Kenji would get some sense into him.

Sarada watched as Kenji ran his fingers through his shaggy hair and paced in a circle thinking about what he should do, Seeing her opportunity to convince him, she stepped up toward him, "You won't even know I am there, I'll just watch behind the scenes to make sure he isn't up to anything and then when he's gone, we'll leave without anyone knowing"

Kenji looked at his watch and realized that any chance of trying to dissuade either woman would waste too much time. He let a huge sigh from his lips, "Fine but he can't know you're there", he emphasized.

Sarada nodded while smiling happy that she convinced him to go with her. It would be a major drag for her if she had come all this way to offer her help and he had turned her down. Kenji picked up the scroll he had earlier and handed it to Fu who exchanged it with her replica scroll.

Kenji attaching the scroll back on his back looked at Fu who was getting ready to make her way back to the apartment, "Make sure you get it home safe and don't open it until I get back"

She said nothing but gave a passive wave to let him know she heard him and hopped away in the direction of the village.

Kenji patted the scroll on his back to make sure it was secure before looking back at Sarada, "Make sure you're a few meters back and whatever you do, don't do anything to make him think someone followed me". Kenji didn't wait for a response and instead leaped on a near by tree branch before fueling his legs with chakra and launching himself towards the direction of the rendezvous point.

"…Dick", Sarada muttered while rolling her eyes. Not wanting to waste anytime or lose him, she also powered some of her chakra to her legs and leaped in the same direction being sure to keep a good distance between them.

* * *

It was a quarter past 2 AM and Kenji was feeling the effects of maneuvering through the outskirts of the village trying to avoid being caught by ANBU but he had finally made it to the rendezvous point. He looked over his shoulder and although she was hidden from sight, he felt like Sarada was close which felt like a better idea as time went on.

He landed from the tree in front of a wooden house and Mizuki leaning on the house waiting for him. Mizuki fished out his lighter and cigarette pack from his back pocket, leaning against the wall. "Were you followed?" he asked while lighting a cigarette from the pack, placing the pack in his back pocket and making a stride towards Kenji

Kenji shook his head and took the scroll of sealing from his back to hand to Mizuki. "I got out of there before anyone co….". Kenji tried to finish his sentence, but he choked on his words. It had suddenly become extremely difficult to breathe and he immediately placed his hands on his throat. He felt a thick liquid and when he looked at his hands, he realized it was his own blood.

He stumbled and fell on his back, looking up at Mizuki and realized that Mizuki had a Kunai in his hand. He felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier until he could not fight it and his eyes closed. "Thank you for your service" was the last thing Kenji heard as the sound of the wind and even Mizuki's voice faded. He could see nothing but darkness and feel nothing but a cold chill.

'I should have listened to her', Kenji thought in his last moments before accepting the cruel fate that had been given to him. He laid in the darkness for what seemed like an eternity wondering whether he was dead or not only to be taken out of the moment when a warm embrace flooded his body.

 **A/N: Here is the second chapter that was promised this month. I had a little delay but here it is as promised with a cliffhanger. The story is going to pick up a bit in the next few chapters. Always remember to review and give your opinions on the story. The next chapter will release sometime next month. See you then.**


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